Novation introduced the critically acclaimed SL MKII ranges of DAW Controller at Winter NAMM 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Novation 49 SL MKII MIDI Controller Keyboard features 49-key velocity sensitive, Fatar semi-weighted action keyboard with after-touch. The Novation 49SL MKII incorporates giant 144-character ultra bright LCD screen, Automap 3 PRO Control software, Assignable Controls; 16 knobs and 8 faders with touch sensitive and 32 buttons with integrated LEDs, Octave buttons with LED indicator.
The Novation SL MK II most obvious enhanced feature as compared to the SL MKI is that now all the sliders and knobs are touch-sensitive. Another enhanced feature is each of the eight parameter positions in the display can be controlled by the rotary encoder for rapid adjustment. Similarly, you can just touch the encoders to navigate the menu layers and it is as fast as the wind for users. The Automap 3 PRO Control software biggest asset is Keystroke Assignment, this enables almost any QWERTY or ASCII keyboard shortcut to be instantly assigned to the SL Mk II controls, providing unprecedented DAW control. The Automap 3.0 also introduces ‘Autoview’, where the ‘heads up GUI’ can be programmed to automatically appear displaying the present status of all controls whenever a controller is touched and then disappear upon release.
Overall, the Novation 49 SL MKII features are very professionally enhanced. Quick and easy usability for the masses and affordable for the budget conscious musicians. The Portable keyboard weight 5.2 kg.
The Edirol PCR-500 MIDI Keyboard Controller by Roland features 49-keys velocity sensitive Keyboard, with after-touch. The Edirol PCR-500 was designed for both live performance and music production. The Edirol PCR-500 incorporates 50 fully assignable controllers, 18 velocity sensitive pads which can be use interchangeably as velocity pads or buttons, unique Crossfader, Dynamic Mapping, Rear Panel Connections.
The built-in velocity sensitive trigger pads in the Edirol PCR-500 are for controlling drum sounds and soft synths. The trigger pads can also be program to accept their own individual midi channel number and midi control change data. With 9 faders, each fader can have its own midi channel number and each fader can set up its own control data. The Dynamic Mapping feature was designed for ease of use and it is a very powerful feature. With just a press of a button, the Dynamic Mapping will be able to grab all the functions of the soft synths and map them across the knobs, buttons and the faders for instant access to the parameters of the soft synths. Also included in the Edirol PCR-500 are complimentary software like SONAR LE, Project 5 LE, and Dimension LE.
Having connections on the rear panel is great because you can use the keyboard right in front of your monitor and have no worries about cable problems. The Edirol PCR-500 is a great piece of instrument. The built-in software are sufficient for ones to get started and more. The Edirol PCR-500 portable keyboard weight 3.8 kg.
The Roland E-50 Music Workstation is a 61-key Keyboard, with velocity sensitive. The Roland E-50 incorporates maximum 64-note Polyphony, advanced features including, 512MB Wave ROM on-board each, incredible and world class sounds on board like new studio sampled guitars and accordions sound and many more, fresh musical content with 100 plus fresh styles, a wide variety of Effects; Reverb - 8 types , Chorus - 8 types and Multi-FX - 41 types , 16 track Sequencer, 16 grey-scale graphic LCD display touch screen.
In addition, the E-50 keyboard powerful built-in audio system delivers amazing robust sound. The LCD display touch screen and dedicated buttons located on the front panel of E-50 enables users ease of use. The Roland E-50 features an attractive and lightweight design. The portable keyboard weight merely 8.8 kg and at an amazing low price.
The Open Labs Neko EX5 Keyboard is the Home Studio Gen 5 E-Series. The Neko EX5 is an alternative to Neko and Miko L-series products and at a more affordable price. The Open Labs Neko EX5 features 61-key semi-weighted, synth-action keyboard with after touch, 15″ LCD Display Color Touch Screen, 200 plus world-class virtual instruments and effects, including 7,500 plus high-quality pre-sets sounds , with virtually unlimited capability for third party plug-ins and applications.
In a nutshell, the Open Labs Neko EX5 Home Studio instrument is fully integrated, custom configured, and well-equipped to allow you to record and produce music right out of the box. The components that create professional studio have been unified into a single coherent instrument with keyboard synthesizers, drum machines, audio interfaces, a mixing console and a powerful computer foundation to give your home studio the power to produce music like a professional for a fraction of the cost and take your music production to new level of realism.
The Open Labs Neko EX5 is perfect for studios, producers and gigging keyboardists. The Portable keyboard weight 46 lbs. The large touch screen is great because you can physically touch anything on the screen (VST controls, Pro tools and etc.,) without requiring the use of a mouse. With superior audio quality and upgrade capabilities, the Open Labs Neko EX5 will always be updated and your workstation always sound good.
The M-Audio KeyStudio 49i USB Keyboard Controller is a 49-note touch sensitive keyboard. The KeyStudio 49i is the first USB keyboard controller to incorporates 2-in/2-out integral audio interface and on-board stereo-sampled Steinway grand piano sound with 20-note polyphony, features a user-friendly and all-in-one music making solution., the M-Audio GM sound module provides you a total 128 instruments sounds from synths, bass, drums, flute, sax and many more right at your fingertips.
When designing the KeyStudio 49i keyboard, M-Audio engineers focused on songwriters need by combining everything songwriters need in a single, easy-to-use package so that technology is transparent to the creative process. Users can play the on-board piano as a stand-alone instrument with no computer or software required. In addition, users can also connect the KeyStudio 49i keyboard to a PC or Mac via USB. Musicians can record vocals and instruments as well as listen to sessions and mixes from the audio outs or headphone jacks. The feature set and compact form factor make it also ideal for classrooms. The audio interface is compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered, delivering seamless integration with industry-standard music production software. These make the M-Audio KeyStudio 49i a complete solution for songwriting and education applications that also allows for easy expansion in the future.
The M-audio KeyStudio 49i is a powerful midi controller. Although the keys are not weighted, this instrument responds expressively to subtleties in your playing. The on-board grand piano sounds are superb and the sound module has very good sounds and much better than sample from keyboards twice the price. The M-Audio KeyStudio 49i downside is that it has only 49-keys instead of the 88-keys but, if you can handle the octave buttons well then you can change your octave with just a push of the button. The portable keyboard is a perfect companion to Garageband.
